It’s Sunday, October 23, 2016, and this morning all of Chicago is in jubilation about the Cubs’s clinching of the National League championship last night, shutting out the Dodgers 5-0. On Tuesday they’ll meet the American League champions, the Cleveland Indians, for the first game of the World Series. Chicago hasn’t won a league championship since 1945, and a World Series since 1908! That’s a record dry spell.
It’s also national Boston Cream Pie day. If you’re an American you’ll almost surely know what a Boston Cream pie is, but here’s a picture for all the uninitiated. It’s more like a cake, and proclaimed in 1996 as The Official Dessert of Massachusetts:
And as I’m writing this, it just became a chemistry day: Mole Day (not the animal!), as explained by Wikipedia:
. . . . an unofficial holiday celebrated among chemists, chemistry students and chemistry enthusiasts on October 23, between 6:02 AM and 6:02 PM, making the date 6:02 10/23 in the American style of writing dates. The time and date are derived from Avogadro’s number, which is approximately 6.02 × 1023, defining the number of particles (atoms or molecules) in one mole of substance, one of the seven base SI units.
On this day in 1917, Lenin called for the October Revolution in Russia, and, in 1929, panic begin to set in on the New York Stock Exchange, ultimately triggering the Great Depression. On this day in 1942, the Second Battle of El Alamein began, which, according to William Shirer, and along with the German defeat at Stalingrad, marked the beginning of the end for Hitler’s Reich. Finally, on October 23, 1973, Nixon agreed to turn his Oval Office tapes over to investigators after a Supreme Court order. What was on those tapes ultimately led to his resignation.
Those born on this day include Felix Bloch (1905), Johnny Carson (1925), and Michael Crichton (1942). Notable people who died on this day include Zane Grey (1939), Al Jolson (1950), Mother Maybelle Carter (1978), and Jessica Savitch (1983 ♥). Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili’s been very bad, snatching food from her staff:
A: Hili, who ate my sausage?Hili: What sausage?
Ja: Hili, kto zjadł moją kiełbasę?
Hili: Jaką kiełbasę?
And out in icebound Winnipeg, Gus is doing serious nomming of his box? Why? Nobody has any idea, for he slept in it for several months without a single bite. Is he exercising his gums? Showing atavistic behavior of tearing up prey? Who knows? But given that the box is well aged, Gus certainly isn’t following the French instructions: “Mangez frais” (“Eat fresh”)!
Finally, since Halloween is coming up, here’s a rude cat pumpkin, found on Imgur and sent by reader Arno:
This may be sad, but last night was possibly the best night of my life. Go Cubs! Fly The W!
Having said that, the emotional and psychological scars of 1969 will never fully heal.
1969? You mean the moon landing?
You must be a Mutts (NY Mets) fan.
Ron Santo’s not available, but the black cat will be attending this year’s opening ceremonies.
I think Maybelle Carter died in 1978, not 1958.
She was on Will the Circle Be Unbroken, which was released in 1971. L
Indeed. I’ve fixed it, thanks.
Was about to say the same. I saw her on stage at my highschool, Thomas Jefferson, in Fairfax Co Va in 1966.
Since when did cats think butt to face was rude?
Re: the World Serious, my team, the Tribe, hasn’t won it since ’48, since right before Dewey beat Truman (according to a Chicago paper, anyway), so somebody’s streak is sure to end, one way or t’other.
I’ve been rooting for these two teams to make it all season. So away we go!
Since the Tigers never really had much of a chance this year, I’ve been rooting for these two, too.
I think I’ve finally worked out Gus’s motivation: He couldn’t eat the box when he first got it because that might have been interpreted as following instructions and a betrayal of cats everywhere given his public profile. Now the box is suitably aged, he can nom it with impunity.
🙂 Interesting theory!
Congratulations to Chicago and best of luck for the national league. On 1 October this year – in the AFL football Grand Final, the Western Bulldogs of Melbourne city beat Sydney by 22 points – their first Grand final win in 62 years.
Occasionally on some mornings, my cat used to come back inside after half an hour, proudly offering the “trophy” of a thick cooked sausage neatly cut in half. Not much use to me – Im a vegetarian but she was so pleased with her catch
Ah, Boston Cream Pie. I first discovered it as an adult; the grocery store bakery I used at the time made them. I seldom have room in my refrigerator for one, but they are indeed an welcome occasional treat. I have no idea why a layer cake with a cream filling and chocolate topping is called a pie.